


Our hearts tied up

by Loulouco



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Goodbyes, Hair Braiding, Post S-Support (Fire Emblem)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29150658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loulouco/pseuds/Loulouco
Summary: Byleth gives Claude one last parting gift before his big trip. Something to remember her by, something to hopefully bring him back to her.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 35





	Our hearts tied up

**Author's Note:**

> I am enamored by all the NG+ hair, especially Claude's braid, so this happened.

Six long, drawn out tolls of a bell ring out across Garreg Mach Monastery, signaling the start of another day. All around, life begins to fill the empty halls once more, with merchants setting up their carts while horses grow impatient in their stables, ready for their morning exercise. Soon, the kitchen will be bustling with cooks, the sounds of pots and pans and the smell of fresh ingredients taking over the previously empty space. But for now, a gentle energy begins to pick up, as if the entire monastery is waking from its nightly slumber.

In the Archbishop’s room, Byleth stirs ever so lightly, ruffling the pile of blankets stacked on top of her. Sunlight gently streams down from between the curtains at her window, falling lightly over her face. She scrunches her eyes as she turns away. It will take more than that to wake her, she decides. Nuzzling her head against her pillow, Byleth sighs contentedly. As she inhales deeply, a familiar smell enters her nose, overloading her senses. She bolts upright, breathing heavily. “Did I miss him?” she whispers to herself, fear bubbling up inside her. She frantically tosses the covers off her lap.

_If I run_ , she thinks, _I can probably catch him before he leaves._ Her head is spinning as she throws on a loose button-down shirt and shorts, ready to race out the door. She lays a hand on the handle and prepares to throw it open when a noise startles her. The sound of running water. Blinking slowly, she releases the door handle. The sound is coming from her bathroom, the door slightly ajar. Byleth tiptoes over to peer inside, chastising herself for thinking so irrationally.

Inside, bathed in the warm glow of the rising sun, stands Claude. He is leaning against the sink, running his hands under cold water before rubbing them across his face, an effort to wake himself up. He looks like something straight out of a dream. He is half dressed, pants and riding boots already laced up, but wearing only a tight undershirt over his muscular chest. Byleth leans against the door frame, taking in the view.

“Like what you see?” Claude teases, splashing more water onto his face before grabbing a towel. Byleth flushes slightly.

“Can you blame a girl?” she whispers, making eye contact with Claude in the mirror. As his green eyes look back into her own, she steps into the bathroom to join him.

“I hope I didn’t wake you, my friend. I’m just getting ready for the long journey ahead,” he says. A smile is plastered on his face, but Byleth knows better than anyone the sadness in his eyes. She shuffles closer, pulling at his hand until their fingers intertwine, as if by instinct. “I had hoped to be ready to go by the time you woke up,” he sighs “but it’s harder than I thought.”

“Let me help you finish up, make up for lost time,” Byleth whispers back, squeezing his fingers gently before letting go. She motions for him to sit on the stool in the middle of the room. When Claude obliges, she runs her fingers through his hair absentmindedly. “I really do love the man you’ve grown to be, Claude, but I do miss the little braid you used to wear as a student.” She blushes, thinking back to those days of easy friendship and light flirting. Claude chuckles and runs a hand through his hair as well, grabbing her own.

“It’s almost long enough to do again,” he laughs, noticing Byleth tense a little at the mention. She begins absentmindedly twirling some strands around her fingers, pondering something. “Penny for your thoughts?” Claude asks after a moment, looking up at her. She doesn’t make eye contact but does break into a wide smile.

“Maybe we should test that theory,” she smirks, finally locking eyes with Claude below her. She barely waits for him to nod before getting to work. Grabbing small, soft strands of hair near his left temple, she begins planning.

They settle into comfortable silence for a while. Byleth gently combs out Claude’s hair with her fingers, separating the strands carefully. Claude leans back against her and closes his eyes. As Byleth works her way down his hair, he hums, the feeling of her fingertips against his scalp lighting his nerves on fire.

“Will you think of me?” Byleth asks after a while, voice strained. Her hands still on his scalp for a moment. Claude doesn’t answer right away, chest too tight to speak. Instead, he reaches up to touch her hands, but she pulls them away. Byleth walks over to the counter and fumbles for a few seconds before returning. She silently ties Claude’s hair together, stepping back to admire her finished work. “Will you think of me when you’re home?” She asks again, louder this time.

Claude swallows hard, not daring to look her in the eyes just yet. He reaches up to touch his hair, gently, with slow movements. He runs his fingertips over the tight braid, taking note of how easily it twists in and out on itself. His hand stills.

“I don’t think there is anything that could stop me from thinking of you. Not when I love you with everything that I am.” Byleth breaths a sigh of relief as Claude gets up. In seconds, she is wrapped in his arms so comfortably she swears time has stopped moving. They stand there for what feels like an eternity. Breathing together. Hearts beating together.

Eventually, the bells of Garreg Mach ring out again. Seven painful reminders that their time together will be cut short. They take their time untangling their limbs from one another, pulling apart slowly.

“Ow, wait a second…” Claude trails off, grabbing Byleth by the shoulder and immobilizing her. “I think I’m stuck on your button.” He chuckles, wincing as he tries to free himself. Byleth watches Claude struggle for a minute before giving up.

“All a part of my secret scheme to keep you here,” she murmurs sheepishly. She reaches down and frees him from her blouse’s grasp. He laughs more earnestly this time, rubbing a hand behind his neck as he so often did when he was younger.

“So… what do you think?” Claude asks, posing for Byleth in ways that draw the lightest of laughs from her delicate lips. “Do I look just as handsome as I did all those years ago, when I was but a young deer?” He does a little twirl for her, showing off how the braid whips around in his stead. He’s barely facing her again when Byleth rushes towards him, squeezing her arms around his waist as tightly as she can.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” she whispers into his chest, tickling his skin with her soft breath. Claude stands shocked for a second, taken aback. Byleth nuzzles closer still. He slinks his arms around her shoulders and squeezes her back, leaning his head against hers and taking a deep breath.

“As will I, my friend. But the sooner I go, the sooner I can return.” He presses a gentle kiss to her head before pulling away. He places a hand under her chin, lifting her eyes so he can look into them as he says, “and I will think of you every single day until then.”

“Even when you’re too busy being King?” She asks hesitantly. They had spent all night talking about Claude’s future, his fight in Almyra, his long list of to-dos that ended in returning to her.

“I will never be too busy for you, my love.” He says before placing another kiss, this time on her forehead. Byleth blushes at the nickname, used to being a ‘friend’ for so long that it almost feels surreal. She reaches up to loop her arms around his neck, but grabs hold of the small elastic holding Claude’s braid in place instead. With one quick move, she pulls it off.

“Hey!” Claude yelps, grabbing at the braid that is already coming undone. He frowns in Byleth’s direction, only to find her giggling to herself. “You better give that back or else – “

“Or else what, you’ll just have to stay here and chase me down for the rest of our lives?” She says with a sly smile, stepping just out of reach as Claude comes towards her. He frowns again, eyes soft and hands outstretched, but a smile slowly stretches onto his lips as well.

He rushes forward with great speed, all but tackling Byleth to the ground as they both explode into laughter. He catches himself, and her, mere inches from the hard bathroom floor, before gently setting her down. Looming over her, his hair a mess, he leans down for a kiss. A real one, a passionate one. One that speaks all the words they can’t bear to say out loud.

When Claude pulls away, Byleth is smiling so sweetly at him that it makes his heart pound. She reaches up to brush his hair back behind his ears before deciding to comb through it instead. Silently, she braids his hair once more, with great ease. Slowly, she ties the ends with the elastic and lets her arms fall limply by her side.

“You should go, before it’s too late,” she says softly, smile shrinking. Claude looks her deep in the eyes, heart breaking at the sadness he sees within them.

“I’ll write every week, just like we discussed,” he says as he pulls himself up, helping Byleth to her feet in the process. “I’ll think of you every hour of every day until I can see you again. Believe me.” Byleth reaches up to touch the braid one last time before cupping Claude’s face.

“When you come back, I better see a perfect braid in your hair. And it better be with this hair tie, because I’m gonna want it back,” she says with a serious look on her face, Claude chuckling without breaking eye contact.

“I promise, if it is the last thing I do, I will return this to you,” he responds jokingly, but Byleth feels the sincerity in his voice. He grabs her hand and places a gentle kiss on it before capturing her lips in his. Byleth smiles into the kiss, knowing that no matter what happens, Claude would never break this promise.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fanfiction in *checks notes* 9 years? It's also my first time writing FE3H fanfiction, but it certainly won't be my last. S/O to my boyfriend for proofreading this despite no interest in either the story or even fanfiction in general.


End file.
